Cooperation between the public and private sector crucial for development of sustainable business

Fourth #StartDialog panel discussion entitled “Why is sustainable business imperative?” organized by platform THE GREEN HUB, was held last week. Under the moderation of the managing partner of Dialog komunikacije Marina Čulić Fischer, the panel discussion featured Bernarda Rožman (Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development), Vali Marszalek (UN Global Compact Croatia, HUP), Dubravka Štefanac Vinovrški (A1 Croatia), Sara Foršek (Raiffeisenbank Croatia) and Tihana Veljačić (THE GREEN HUB, DPC).

The gathered participants discussed whether Croatia is feeling the effects of climate change and how the private and public sectors can influence them, with few examples of good practice. Sara Foršek emphasized the role of banks in achieving global sustainability goals, pointing out that banks, as financial institutions, are invited for support because they have the capital to implement and invest in sustainable projects and clients that have a positive impact on the local community and society as a whole. Dubravka Štefanac Vinovrški exclusively announced that A1 Telekom Austria Group is one of the founders and signatories of the European Green Digital Coalition, which aims to support the green and digital transformation of the European Union and which counts 26 companies today, such as Bolt, Deutsche Telekom, Ericsson, IBM. a, Microsoft, Nokia, Orange, SAP, Schneider Electric, Telefonica and Vodafone Group.

When it comes to sustainable business, the panelists agreed that it is an imperative, but also that a multidisciplinary approach involving private and public cooperation is crucial for the implementation of sustainable models. Bernarda Rožman pointed out climate strategies, plans and financing opportunities that the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development is working on, and Vali Marszalek pointed out non-financial reporting education and the UN Global Compact accelerator program, SDG Ambition, for the development of corporate sustainability strategy, implemented by the Croatian Employers’ Association as carrier of initiative in Croatia.

“Sustainable business is no longer a matter of choice, but a necessity, if we want to preserve our planet for generations to come. Together, all participants can devise comprehensive solutions and strategies that will have a significant impact on the development of sustainable practices in Croatia.” – said Tihana Veljačić, co-founder of THE GREEN HUB platform and initiator of the Ditch Plastic Croatia initiative.