BR Awards 2014 – The Nominees: Sustainable Business Practices

Judging criteria: Incorporation of sustainable business practices; environmentally friendly products or services; greener than traditional alternatives; social sustainability; private financing; profitability; social impact of the business; the ability of the business model to be replicated; helping a community to become self-sustainable; sustained growth of the company; long-term view of the company in relation to the community and the environment; producing in Romania and involving the local community.

Casa de Insolventa Transilvania for the “Insolvency: A Solution Not A Problem” campaign

Last year the company rolled out an awareness-raising program informing managers and entrepreneurs of what insolvency actually means and how it can help bring about a healthier economy. The aim of the campaign was to recognize insolvency as a segment that contributes to the economic growth of the country and turn insolvency into the business consulting area with the best coverage in the Romanian media.

Holcim Romania for the waste heat recovery installation at its Alesd cement plant

Read more about

East European Coffee Culture Festival: brewing excitement this weekend

read more

The nomination reflected the company’s environmental performance, which is in line with the 20-20-20 goals of the European Union: a 20 percent increase in energy efficiency; a 20 percent reduction in greenhouse emissions; and the overall efficient use of resources.

The waste heat recovery facility at its Alesd cement plant is one of many initiatives introduced by Holcim Romania to improve its environmental performance. The total value of the investment was EUR 15 million and came from Holcim Romania’s own funds, with an amortization period of ten years. For Holcim, it is the first WHR power plant in Europe. For the cement industry, it is the first WHR power plant worldwide which uses both preheater and clinker cooler exhaust gases.

Danone for the “A Chance for Your Family!” Program

“A Chance for Your Family!” is aimed at small farming communities in areas with low development potential, encouraging them to set up associations in order to secure long-term profitability through high-quality milk production. The basic idea of the program is “passing on the gift”: pregnant cows are given to families who lack the means to invest in purchasing a purebred animal. The first female obtained will be, in turn, given to another family. So the initial gift will be multiplied and the number of beneficiaries will increase. The program also has a training component for householders with regard to health, nutrition, care and the milking of cows, in order to obtain milk that complies with European Union quality requirements. The milk produced by the largest community is collected and used by Danone for its dairy manufacturing, but this is at the discretion of the community, which is not obliged to sell to Danone. The farming method is traditional, and environmentally friendly.

The objectives of the program were to donate 100 heifers to three local communities, in addition to the 100 heifers donated in 2012. The program, which ran in three communities (Zimnicea, Teleorman county; Cocorastii Colt, Prahova county, and Belin, Covasna county), benefited from a EUR 595,000 investment in 2013, bringing the total for 2012 and 2013 to EUR 2 million.

CCIFER for the CCIFER training center

In 2013, the French Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture in Romania (CCIFER) launched its Executive Management Program (ExMP), a nine-month training course which aims to provide a ‘helicopter view’ of the main managerial disciplines and equip managers with an understanding of the driving forces of the business environment. ExMP’s class of 2013 was made up of 15 participants and throughout 2013 the organizers recruited and admitted another 15 high-potential managers for the class of 2014. The companies are not just involved financially; they tutor and accompany their participants throughout the program through a real-case business project, thereby ensuring that the learning process matches the business expectations.