News

14.02.2008 11:37:00

More and more Polish companies place ecology, as the strategy for development and creating its image, among its priorities. What’s interesting, as many as one quarter of the companies honoured by the Programme comes from Silesia.


- Pro-ecological thinking is long-term thinking. And it's not just about outdoing competition. When we do something for the environment, we do it for our grandchildren and for grandchildren of our clients – says Anna Romaniecka – Mankiewicz Director responsible for the corporation of the company Leroy Merlin Polska. The company, as one out of six companies was awarded, on this 12th February, with special reward in the contest of the second edition of the Programme “Company Close to Environment”.

More than the law requires

According to the Programme Organizers - the representatives of the European Forum of Ecological Responsibility (Europejskie Forum Odpowiedzialności Ekologicznej), more and more Polish companies treat environment protection seriously and professionally. Detailed audits in this respect, conducted by the European Forum of Ecological Responsibility specialists in 52 enterprises which participated in the programme, showed that ecology is becoming something more than just a legal obligation.
- More and more Polish companies are aware that only meeting the regulations of environment protection is not enough nowadays. To be ecologically responsible means to do more in this scope that the law requires – says Arkadiusz Primus, the President of the European Forum of Ecological Responsibility.
This phenomenon is very positively assessed by both Michał Nurzyński, the director of the department of education and the promotion of balanced development of the Ministry of Environment, and Anne Lise Gjestvang, the manager of Green Business Norway, who were honourary guests of the Gala Company Close to Environment.
Gjestvang reminded that Norway, as the first country in the world, brought into being the ministry of environment, and today the organization of such events as e.g. Olympic Games in Lillehammer starts with the word ecology.
- in Norway the word ecology means everything. I’m glad that this issue is becoming important in Poland - said Anne Lise Gjestvang.

Ecology and economy
The organizers of the Programme „Company Close to Environment” want to make ecological issues more and more important for Polish companies.
- the aim of the programme is creating the elite of Polish enterprises which treat ecology as a management element and ennoble it to be a strategic factor - says Marek Jabłoński, the Vice President of the European Forum of Ecological Responsibility.
The programme also serves educational purposes. It often makes the companies aware that ecological actions may have an influence on market effect.
- Ecology and economy are equal. And there is no discrepancy – convinces Adam Jabłoński from the European Forum of Ecological Responsibility.
And although development and success of the companies awarded within the framework of "Company Close to Environment" Programme clearly confirms his words, it must be added that at the beginning of pro-ecological actions, there must always be human sensitivity. The example of this may be the company IKEA Retail which e.g. as the fist company in the branch withdrew plastic bags from its stores and which encourages clients to use paper bags and multi-use bags, or a small company Troton from Ząbrowo, the manufacturer of paints and car surfacers. Troton has participated in actions supporting ecology for many years. Together with e.g. Ecological Club “Gaja” actively participating in the programme “Adpot the River”, five thousand trees were planted last year, at the company initiative. Since 2005 Troton has also supported Centre of Wolf Reintroduction in Stobnica. The Wolf is even on the company logo.
- We treat the award of the Programme „Company Close to Environment” as a prestigious one. We have never thought about the influence of our pro-ecological actions on economic effect – says Katarzyna Romańska, from Troton company.