Time: 6 Nov 2014, 14.00 – 15.30
Place: Faculty of Management (University of Łódź) room 115
About the workshop
Business is depending on all those products and services that ecosystems provide. Companies are not just relying on but also affect ecosystems, including their resource use, pollution and waste production. Forward-looking companies across Europe have already realized the importance of reducing their negative impact on the ecosystems. However, ecosystems mean not just a risk but also opportunities. The demand for environmentally friendly products is increasing, whilst the market for green business innovations is growing. Besides, efficient resource use can bring competitive advantage. Research has shown that 87% of the consumers expect companies to take conservation measures.
Questions raised in the workshop
- How much are European companies dependent on natural capital?
- How can companies reduce the use of resources and connected costs?
- How do international and national regulatory framework regarding biodiversity and resource use affect companies in Europe? What are the best ways to comply with?
- How can sustainable operation yield higher consumer confidence and better reputation?
- What CEE best practices regarding resource use, biodiversity conservation and NGO-business cooperation exist?
- What do CEE regional business need to grow more resource efficient and more sustainable?
About CEEweb for Biodiversity
CEEweb for Biodiversity is a network of 62 non-governmental conservation organizations in the Central and Eastern European region established in 1994. Our mission is the conservation of biodiversity through the promotion of sustainable development.
CEEweb started to work with firms and companies in 2007. In 2013, we developed Guidelines for strengthening the cooperation between companies and NGOs. Our network of Central and Eastern European companies and NGOs is continuously expanding. CEEweb is the only Central and Eastern-European member of the European Commission’s Business & Biodiversity Platform initiative, which includes the biggest European companies, NGOs and EU institutions.
CEEweb would like to help companies in making strategic decisions that are both environmentally friendly and ensure long term competitiveness. We believe that cooperation between companies and green NGOs can help both sides to conserve natural capital more efficiently.
During the first edition of the CSR Trends conference the special doctoral session organised by IWBEE took place for the first time. After the official end of the conference a meeting of the IWBEE took place - options of further cooperation were discussed and new members from Romania, Turkey, India, and Germany were welcomed.