#GreenRestart Interview | Grzegorz Grabowski, General Manager Maspex Romania

As the world economy is rapidly moving away from an oil and consumption driven model to a green, sustainable way of doing business, we would like you to share with our readers the projects and ideas for a better world of leading sustainability, environment, and CSR professionals from top Romanian companies.

The new episode, fourth in the series, sees us exploring the sustainability and CSR strategies of one of the biggest players in the food & beverages industry, together with Grzegorz Grabowski, General Manager Maspex Romania, the company which produces in its Valenii de Munte factory all products under the Tymbark, Tedi, Ciao and Figo, La Festa, Salatini, and Rollini d’Oro brands.

What are Maspex Romania’s main directions in terms of environment?

Since the beginning of its existence, Maspex Romania has consistently strived to minimize the negative impact on the environment, in every area of its activity. We take care of the proper condition of machines and equipment, and we have modern warehouses. The company plans production in a way that ensures maximum capacity utilization. It also raises staff awareness through frequent training.

Our mission is to provide quality food that is appreciated by consumers. We are a responsible company, we are constantly looking for ecological solutions, and we pursue the improvement of production processes. In this way, the operational activity carried out in our factories is based on the highest ecological standards.

We have a pro-environment policy through which we constantly invest and look for modern solutions that minimize the impact on nature. We have an investment plan that follows the principle of sustainability by using modern technologies that can effectively meet the needs of the company.

Maspex Romania develops its activities in accordance with the Environmental Permit, respecting all the provisions imposed by law. The company rigorously monitors the parameters required by the authorizations and reports the information to the competent authorities, following the legal framework. The company performs analyzes according to the monitoring imposed by the Environmental Permit (e.g. analyzes for wastewater and air) and performs additional analyzes whenever necessary.

At the same time, for the packaging placed on the market through the sale of products and goods, as a manufacturer and importer, the company must fulfill the legal obligations to recycle these packaging, and in this regard has concluded contracts of transfer of responsibility to specialized companies called OIREPS.

We perform a selective sorting of waste depending on the type of material from which it is made. Sorting is the first link in recycling, followed by division into waste fractions. Waste is collected separately and temporarily stored in specialized containers to avoid environmental contamination. Subsequently, they are handed over to the authorized companies that deal with their takeover and capitalization or disposal.

What environment projects have you concentrated on in the past year?

We focused on pro-environmental investments targeting the decrease of electricity, gas and compressed air consumption. For exemple, we used LED technology in the newly built spaces.

What can you tell us about involving our communities, together with Maspex Romania, in protecting the environment, as a collective effort for a better future?

Maspex Romania, through the Bucovina brand, launched the “Keeping the wildness of the land” campaign, a social afforestation action that took place in the Valea Secu area, Suceava county.

Bucovina “Keeping the wildness of the land” campaign, a social afforestation action

In this campaign, the Company had as partners Dorna Candrenilor City Hall and Dorna Forest District. Together with our partners and volunteers from the organization Vatra Dornei Tineret and the Association of Mountain Rescuers from Romania – Salvamont Vatra Dornei we planted fir seedlings for afforestation of the area.

Bucovina is a land where there are 23 nature reserves, virgin forests, unique or rare species of flora and fauna. From this rich land is bottled Bucovina water which has gained its appreciation due to its special qualities.

Through the actions of social responsibility carried out, we set out to increase our concern for nature and to remind people that, in order to live in balance, we need to keep the wild lands untouched by civilization.

What are the most efficient methods to educate the population in having a more responsible behaviour towards the environment, in the long term?

We think that education in the early stages of life is the most effective long term strategy. It is also very important for us all, as individuals and companies, that we acknowledge and price the assets we still have, the ones that nature provides. We then work on protecting these resources and adopt a sustainable way of life.

Along with other industries, we support the implementation of the DRS – deposit refund system for recyclable packaging in Romania as well. It is an environmental tool successfully used in other European countries, very effective in supporting the separate collection, in order to recycle beverage packaging.

What are your future plans for Maspex Romania’s environment strategy?

We are a responsible company and our entire strategy is based on an environment-friendly attitude. We constantly work on improving our processes at every stage of our activity. For example, one of thefuture pro-environment investments is regarding a new water supply pipe that will reduce water water loss. A closed cooling system, with water recovery and reuse at all cooling installations of the production line is another planned investment.

Which are the main pillars of Maspex Romania’s CSR strategy at this moment?

Maspex Romania has long been involved in social responsibility actions, some of them conducted regionally and some nationally.

Our social activity started in 2009, with the establishment of the Foundation ,,S.O.S. For Tummy ”. Since 2009 we have become more and more involved and have developed social programs in order to improve the quality of life through education. The main themes of our social programs are those related to a healthy life through proper nutrition and sports, and better safety for our children.

At the same time, Maspex Romania is actively involved in the life of the communities in which it operates. From providing lunch for children from families with limited financial resources to providing medical equipment for health facilities in these areas, we do our best to be of help. We stand by people and communities for a life in harmony together.

We strongly believe in the idea that a company works with people, and especially for people. Business plans, objectives – all are obtained with intense work and also with emotional involvement. And with respect for others.

What CSR projects have you implemented so far at Maspex Romania?

We are constantly involved in CSR projects. Some are punctual others are continuous.

The most important are:

– S.O.S. For Tummy – developed for the communities located near Valenii de Munte, where one of our factories is located;

– Tedi Safety School and Tymbark Junior Cup – held nationwide in schools across the country;

Tedi Safety School

– Start Moving With Tedi – organized in the summer season in various locations on the Black Sea coast;

– Vatra Dornei afforestation campaign – carried out locally, near our factory in Suceava county.

– money and Maspex products donations: O.N.G.s from all over the country are sponsored;

– internship programs, scholarships, collaboration with various universities.

What can you tell us about the internal CSR projects carried out for Maspex Romania employees?

The Tedi Safety School, Start moving with Tedi and Tymbark Junior Cup are three nationwide programs. Within these programs we have frequently organized additional actions, focusing on the communities we belong to, in areas where the company’s factories are located: Giurgiu, Vatra Dornei, Valenii de Munte.

The First Day Of School With Tedi is an internal project designed for our employee’s children that are about to start school. They receive from Tedi fully-equipped backpacks with all the materials they need.

We also organize summer camps for the children of our employees working at our factory in Vatra Dornei.

What are the directions you see for CSR initiatives in Romania for the next years?

We will continue the programs we have initiated. We have adapted to the current context the projects that have made this possible – for example, the Tedi Safety School is now taking place online. It was necessary to suspend that the projects that involved competitions and physical presense, until the health situation will allow us to resume them.

Of course, we will continue to support the local communities through these difficult times.

How much do you think the current pandemic crisis has changed the solidarity concept in Romanian society – both for companies, as well as at individual level – considering the fact that in the first months of the pandemic, many companies have joined forces to fight against Covid-19?

The concept of solidarity in Romanian society changed in the past few months, it became stronger, more full of significations. Both companies and individuals joined the battle against our enemy: the Coronavirus.

As members of one big team, we have supported each other, but we have not forgotten those who are exposed to danger and fight in the front line: doctors, nurses, and medical staff, or those who need humanitarian aid. Thus, we were glad to be able to support the medical staff from the hospitals in Bucharest, Timisoara, and Iasi, and also those who work in the hospitals in the communities we belong to – Vatra Dornei and Valenii de Munte.

Our actions did not stop here, they turned into constant support for the community so that, so far, our help has reached eight hospitals throughout Romania, five important associations as well as town halls and care departments social security in the country. We supported doctors, nurses, rescuers, police officers, the elderly people with special needs, children in care centers, young people, and war veterans.

Money donations have been made for the purchase of necessary sanitary materials in this context, as well as donations in Maspex products.

Just as doctors are now the front-line people for all of us, our employees are the front-line people of the company, so we share with them the joy of being able to do good. Together as a team, we will continue to be present in our communities.

The most recent donations of Maspex Romania were made to: Valenii de Munte City Hospital, Vatra Dornei Ambulance Substation, Valenii de Munte City Hall, Vatra Dornei City Hall, Dorneni Youth Organization Association, Prahova Police, DGASPC Suceava.

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