Circular economy is the key for sustainable business development

A discussion entitled “Challenges of sustainable business in manufacturing companies” was held as part of the #StartDialog cycle of online panels, organized by the platform THE GREEN HUB. Discussion was moderated by the managing partner of Dialog komunikacije agency Marina Čulić Fischer and featured Ivana Petričević (Fortenova group / Jamnica plus), Matija Hlebar (Podravka), Vesna Petrović (Folder) and Tihana Veljačić (THE GREEN HUB, Ditch Plastic Croatia).

Panelists discussed about the newly adopted Law on Waste Management, which transposes the Directive on reducing the impact of certain plastic products on the environment, the circular economy as the economy of the future and the responsibility of all stakeholders in the environmental protection process – consumers, producers and market regulators.

Ivana Petričević pointed out that the group of Beverages which are a part of the Fortenova Group, and consist of the production companies Jamnica plus, Sarajevski kiseljak and Mg Mivela, has been adapting its production processes and product design for years in order to reduce plastic packaging and reduce CO2 emissions.

As the biggest challenges that Podravka faces, Matija Hlebar stated the existing waste management infrastructure, and that alternative solutions for certain types of multilayer packaging used for product packaging have not yet been fully offered. Podravka’s goal is to find types of multi-layer packaging that can be easily and simply collected, sorted and recycled, and work on that together with its strategic suppliers.

Vesna Petrović from Folder emphasized the importance of the transition from the current linear to circular economy, in which waste management is directly related to production, and as an example of good practice of reuse cited the cooperation between Labud and Žabac store where detergents can be purchased in bulk in returnable packaging.

“When we talk about the future of the circular economy in Croatia, we need a change in consumer consciousness and a step forward from the” throw away” culture. When that happens, companies will have to adapt to new consumer demands and needs who will recognize and appreciate companies that make efforts to make their business and production processes more sustainable and less harmful to the environment and the community in which they do business, “said Tihana Veljačić, co-founder of THE GREEN HUB platform and initiator of the Ditch Plastic Croatia initiative.