On Friday, the 6th of November at the Royal Castle in Niepołomice the winners of the National Clean Business Award competition were announced. The competition has been organized by the Polish Environmental Partnership Foundation every year since 1998. Trophies for the most innovative, environmentally friendly solutions that improve competition were received by the following companies: Promax from Ostrów Wielkopolski, Mexeo from Kędzierzyn-Koźla together with OSM-Głubczyce, LEDIKO from Wrocław, Artistic Agency "Hegemon" from Złotoryja and Komart from Knurów.
This year’s edition of the National Clean Business Awards was organized under the honorary patronage of the Minister of Environment, Minister of Economy and Minister of Regional Development. In the first stage, 13 finalists from all of Poland were selected, who then competed with each other in the award finals in 5 categories: Energy, water, waste management, Product innovation, Process innovation, Product/service in tourism, and “Brightsite.”
The selection of winners was made by an awards committee, which included, among others: Jerzy Brniak – CEO BP Poland, Henryka Bochniarz - President of the Polish Confederation of Private Employers PKPP Lewiatan, Jan Okulicz - advisor to the Board of Toyota Motor Poland, Beata Adamczyk - Head of the Department of Economic Policy in the Department of Economic Development in the Ministry of Economy, and Monika Dziadkowiec - General Director of the Ministry of Environment.
Rafał Serafin, Director of the Polish Environmental Partnership Foundation, while opening the 11th Annual Meeting of the Clean Business Clubs, mentioned that about 5,000 companies have already benefited from the Clean Business Program: "Both parties benefit from the program: we invest in the companies that develop, because they are environmentally friendly, and the companies, thanks to us, have access to solutions through which they increase earnings."
According to research conducted by the Foundation among firms involved in the Clean Business program, up to 76 percent of the companies go green to reduce costs. Most - 56 percent, invest in energy reduction and implementation of innovative, environmentally friendly technologies. "More importantly, small firms invest in green solutions, not only because of their desire to reduce costs and improve their image, but also by their regional pride and desire to improve the local environment" - said Joanna Węgrzycka, Clean Business Program Manager.
The theme of the conference accompanying this year's meeting was ‘Eco-innovation – turning ideas into business propositions’. We brought the participants up to speed on the current situation in Poland regarding the implementation of new, environmentally friendly technologies and the possibilities of their financing. It’s worth noting that European environmental technologies have about a one-third stake in the global market. This sector generates approximately 227 billion euros of revenue (2.2% of EU GDP) and about 3.4 million jobs. It’s estimated that by 2020 this market will grow to twice its current size and be worth over 1 trillion. Therefore this is a huge area of opportunity for companies associated with environmental technology. Eco-innovation is aimed not only at reducing environmental impact, but also the more efficient use of natural resources, all while boosting competitiveness and economic growth.
During the 11th Annual Meeting, Clean Business companies were awarded the Green Office Certificate and Clean Tourism Certificate by the Polish Environmental Partnership Foundation. "Business in Poland has started to see the benefits of eco-certificates as a way to improve the image of the firms," said Ewa Figórska, Manager of the project “Pro-active environmental education on Greenways in Poland” from which the Foundation gives eco-certificates to environmentally friendly companies.
The 11th Annual Meeting of the Clean Business Clubs was held in Niepołomice for the second time. "Selecting Niepołomice as a meeting place is no coincidence. A thriving industrial area, a strong, innovative economy, spectacular investments that showcase the city and community attract many domestic and foreign investors," said Joanna Węgrzycka, Clean Business Program Manager. Importantly, the host of the meeting, the Royal Castle in Niepołomice, was among the companies given a Clean Tourism Certificate. "This certificate is really important because it shows that you can do something good for the environment even in historic buildings," said Leszek Stankiewicz from the Foundation of the Royal Castle in Niepołomice while receiving honorable mention.
We congratulate the winners of the Clean Business Award competition as well as the nominees and firms that have been awarded eco-certificates. We wish them further success in implementing sustainable practices in their companies!
