Voluntary Commitment to Society
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ECOPACK Bulgaria We recover with greatest care for community and nature. PRESS www.ecopack.bg November 2013 №4 YORDANKA FANDUKOVA USED BEVERAGE Mayor of Sofia Municipality page 3 CARTONS RECYCLING Mayor of the Year 2013 page 6 PILOT PROJECT VOLUNTARY COMMITMENT TO SOCIETY Successful strategies in the area of corporate social responsibility enhance a company’s reputation and image among its clients, the business community, and society in general. This involves a number of benefits. pp.4-5 VOICE For the third consecutive year, ISWA Communication HIGH INTERNATIONAL REC- Award honors communication campaigns that promote OGNITION FOR ECOPACK’S sustainable waste management among the general pub- lic. This year the competition involved 48 campaigns from UNIQUE ECO-BUS 27 countries and 4 continents. The award ceremony took place on October 7th in Vienna, where ECOPACK Bul- he unique strategic approach employed in the garia received the prestigious award. Texecution of the campaign ‘ECOPACK’s Flying Classroom’ was highly acknowledged by the profes- This year alone, the project has won the following prestig- sional community. It was awarded Second Prize by ious national and international awards in competition with hundreds of other projects: the International Solid Waste Association at ISWA Communication Awards 2013. This is the only glo- First Place, Green Communications and Urban Environ- bal non-profit organization working in the public ment category, PR Priz, Bulgarian Public Relations Society; interest to promote sustainable and professional Second Place, Sustainable Development Campaign waste management. Through its working groups it category, Bright Awards, Bulgarian Association of PR supports the activity of international organizations Agencies; such as UNEP, WHO, and EU institutions in the field Finalist, Environmental category, International PR As- of waste management. sociation Golden World Awards. Todor Burgudzhiev Executive Director of ECOPACK Bulgaria o us, the ECOPACK team, for nearly 10 years already, corporate social respon- sibilityT has been not only a commitment to which we firmly adhere, but also a source of inspiration and reward. We don’t just recover packaging but work together in the interest of THE 3D ECOBUS – ECOPACK’S MOST FAR-REACHING AND the public and the environment. SUCCESSFUL EUCATION PROJECT The wide-ranging awareness and education round Sound and Audience Response System campaigns constitute a major area of activity eparate waste collection is a process of ECOPACK Bulgaria. They help get across Sof enormous importance to the protec- (ARS), which turn the 40-minute learning ses- the communications about separate waste tion of the environment and the sustain- sion into an unforgettable experience and the collection and protection of the environment able development of society. Everyone’s children – into devoted ambassadors of the to millions of Bulgarian households. It only active involvement guarantees a cleaner green idea and separate waste collection. takes one look at the beaming, happy faces environment, more efficient economy, and Since March 2011, close to 80,000 children of the children in our ‘flying eco classroom’ ultimately, better quality of life. Yet, how from 438 schools and kindergartens in 70 or the impressive turnout of volunteers in the can we draw the attention of the young- municipalities have joined the battle of Harty, green events we organize and support, to get est, those whose tomorrow depends on Stuk, and Plastika (the superheroes from the a sense of the potential for positive change what we all do today? After all, we are 3D film ‘Lords of Recycling’) against Fear- that they carry. dealing with ‘thrash’... Of course, there some Thrash (who is not to be feared at all are many good answers to this question One of the critical factors for the success of as long as we collect waste separately) and but ECOPACK Bulgaria and DeConi, the have themselves become ‘eco-heroes’ in the the environmental and sustainable develop- company’s communication agency, came ment projects is the cooperation and active interactive ARS game. The exceptional impact up with one of the best – the 3D ECOBUS. involvement of all of you – our clients, part- of the project was achieved thanks to its in- ners, friends and fellow-supporters of the The3D ECOBUS is often referred to as ‘the novative nature and the partnership model green idea. I hope you will continue to sup- flying classroom’ and that is exactly what it established with government institutions on port ECOPACK’s efforts in the public interest. is – a classroom on wheels. Only one that the central and local levels, Bulgarian and seems to have arrived from the future – with international companies, non-governmental 42” 3D mobile displays, Dolby Digital Sur- organizations, national and regional media. ECOPACK Bulgaria possesses certificates under Bulgarian State Standard EN ISO 9001:2008 and BSS EN ISO 14001:2005SO. Collect separately with VOICE YORDANKA FANDUKOVA MAYOR OF SOFIA MUNICIPALITY, MAYOR OF THE YEAR 2013 rs. Fandukova, when and how How would you describe the role of Mdid you decide for Sofia to ap- the conservation of nature and a clean ply for European Capital of Culture environment and could they make a 2019? difference in terms of winning this Participation in the European culture distinction? capital competition is not a political No doubt, keeping up a clean environ- project but a genuine civic cause. ment and the attitude to nature in gen- In fact, all of the applicant cities eral are part of the culture of a given come out as winners because in the society. Sofia Municipality has many process of preparation, and in the and diverse priorities in this respect, process of application, they get the such as building up the underground, chance to present their artists and the waste recovery plant, and devel- achievements, to build new cultural opment of transport, education, and infrastructure, as well as to create culture. In each project we look for the new products. Already as Deputy environmental implications and pos- Vrana Park to visitors. Presently we Mayor about 7 years ago I started sible benefits. Every time we have a are renovating the Banya Lozenets working actively towards the imple- boulevard repair project, I personally Park, which is to be refurbished with mentation of this project. Bulgaria’s insist on including the installation of new paving, lighting, landscaping, capital is a cultural center producing bike lanes, we are developing electric and park facilities. Over the next works of art and various forms and transport and the metro system, as the year we will refurbish the entrance expressions of culture of high excel- most environment-friendly transport to the Borisova Gradina, the park lence. Our participation will help our mode. We are gradually implementing next to the Doktorski Pametnik, and artists present their work to a Euro- energy-efficiency measures in all of the the park in Studentski Grad. I expect pean audience and the public will Municipality buildings. Such measures the installation of new lighting at the get the chance to see and interact have been partially or fully implemented central entrance to the North Park to with the culture and art of other Eu- in 95% of all municipal kindergartens be completed by the end of the year ropean countries. Let me just remind and schools. All newly built kindergar- and a refurbishment of the paving, in you that thanks to our excellent col- tens meet the latest standards. We al- the course of 2014. laboration with Italian cities, Sofia ready have one completed ‘green’ kin- residents and visitors have already dergarten in the Kremikovtsi area and How can we all, as citizens, help had the opportunity to see fine ex- are building another two in German and keep our city clean and pleasant? amples of Ravenna mosaics, as well Kumaritsa. We are ready with another The involvement of the citizens is cru- as an original Raphael painting. The 130 projects for the next program period cial for the success of any cause. The involvement of the residents of the but one of the most important ones is to spring clean-up campaigns and the capital in the year-long application secure financing for the refurbishment Green Sofia Program suggest that process has been of great impor- of concrete buildings. That is why I have what people need is motivation and tance. Our project is a reflection of been urging the Government to imple- more information. I expect the com- the ideas of the people. ment a special measure for Sofia in or- panies dealing with separate waste der to assist the residents of the capital collection to organize such cam- to refurbish their homes and make them paigns and to operate in such a way more energy effective. as to engage the people as partners. We have all seen our capital growing Citizens are actually very responsi- ever more beautiful and green in the ble, they love their city and are willing past few years; what new initiatives to help tidy up Sofia. have you got planned in this respect in the short- and mid-term? I am happy that Sofia residents rec- ognize our efforts to make the capital a more beautiful and colorful city. In the spring of this year we opened the FOCUS VOLUNTARY COMMITMENT TO SOCIETY he practice of profit redistribution mitment of businesses finds expression However, how voluntary is the com- in the interest of the community in a definite set of rules of conduct. Here, mitment of the business community inT which it was generated is practi- however, the crucial term is ‘voluntary’. to contribute towards sustainable de- cally as old as profit-making itself. In We even find it in the definition provided velopment? If we think about it, the the 1970s and 80s this giving back to by the European Commission in its Strat- successful CSR strategies enhance the community, already conceptual- egy for Corporate Social Responsibility a company’s reputation and image ized as ‘corporate social responsibility’ 2011-2014: “Corporate Social Respon- among its clients, the business com- (CSR) started gaining in popularity in sibility is a concept whereby companies munity, and society in general.