Dear members and readers,
Calendar summer ended just over three weeks ago and we hope that you’ve managed to rest and re-charge for what seems to be a challenging autumn. The local and global pandemic news remains very concerning; the media are providing minute-to-minute updates, often dramatic, but our focus will be on the BPCC community impact.
The pandemic's not going away at any time soon. This is an opportune moment to focus on businesses' response to social and environmental issues that have arisen as a result.
Anna Clunes became British Ambassador to Warsaw last month. She talks to Contact Magazine Online about her return to Poland and about current and future challenges.
The BPCC’s Michael Dembinski talks to Tomasz Buras, CEO, and Jakub Jędrys, head of building and project consultancy, at Savills Poland, about the green agenda driving the future development of the built environment – and how Covid-19 is changing the debate about the future of cities.
Colm McGivern, Director of British Council Poland, talks to the BPCC’s Michael Dembinski about how Covid-19 has accelerated the way language courses are delivered – and how the internationalisation of higher education spurs economic development.
Who is entitled to the State Pension in the UK and what is the current amount of pension?
Paweł Świętochowski, president of the Castorama Foundation and business relations & community projects manager at Castorama Polska, outlines the home-improvement giant’s approach to corporate responsibility
We believe that every little help makes a big difference. This belief drives what we do for our colleagues around the world, the thousands of places and communities we operate in, and the millions of customers we serve every single day. It’s also the idea at the heart of our Little Helps Plan, which since 2017 has set out how we will play our part to tackle the social and environmental challenges that matter most to us all.
Jobs are changing, driven by the impact of breakthrough technologies. Now, the rate of change is occurring faster than ever before. The World Bank estimates that 60% of the world's population remains excluded from the ever-expanding digital economy, the new economy.
Social engagement is a key element of PwC actions to build social trust and solve important problems. Sharing our firm’s greatest assets – the skills, knowledge and talents of our people – we concentrate on education, supporting the social economy and innovation, as well as helping to build capacity of non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
‘Sustainability’ systematically tops the list of priorities of corporate boards and executives around the world. Entrepreneurs used to take environmental action or carry out social projects as part of their marketing or branding activities. Over the past decade, however, we have seen more and more companies contribute to the creation of commercial and social value by integrating sustainability into its business strategy and core business.
Santander Bank Polska has been actively pursuing its responsible business strategy for many years. Engaged in numerous social initiatives, most bank-like companies start with philanthropic activities and then gradually engaged in more and more projects to eventually make sustainable development one of the most important pillars of any organisation’s business strategy.
Responsibility towards the natural environment is for BNP Paribas one of four key pillars of responsibility (CSR and Sustainability Strategy).
Shell Energy Campus in Krakow is one of the most ‘green’ and sustainable offices in Poland. What makes it really exceptional is the commitment of its employees to sustainability. Even though the Covid-19 pandemic made 97% of its staff in Krakow move temporarily to a remote working model, it hasn’t weakened the team’s drive to contribute to sustainable environment. Structured plans developed in Krakow over the past few years have enabled Shell to continue with the efforts even in the substantially changed reality of 2020.
A sustainable approach to responsible business is inherent in BP’s purpose – re-imagining energy for people and for our planet. We want to help the world reach net zero and improve people’s lives, and we can do this by being a safe, focused, responsible, well-governed and transparent organisation. This coming decade is critical for the world in the fight against climate change, and to drive the necessary change in global energy systems will require action from everyone.
Brewed with the use of wind electricity, in a way that achieves record-breaking water savings, with almost half of it sold in reusable packaging, Kompania Piwowarska’s beer is produced today with respect for natural resources and the environment.
Health & safety has always been the highest priority at ArcelorMittal
The health, safety and well-being of our employees has been ArcelorMittal’s number one priority since its creation. Given the unprecedented global health crisis resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic, that priority has never been more important than today.
The Covid-19 pandemic has reminded us of the need to invest in resilient countries, companies and people. There is a need to talk about ‘sustainable health’, healthier life at any age and responsibility for health both collectively on the side of governments, institutions and companies, as well as individually.
As a producer of resin floors, Flowcrete Polska, operates in the construction sector, where issues related to sustainable development have been present for years, and have gained in importance recently. We also observe it in the Polish market and also in the resin flooring industry.
British Primary School of Wilanow (BSW)is a values-centred school and our Walk of the Lion is the central philosophy around which our education provision is based. In the current situation where health concerns triumph charity initiatives, we are faced with the challenge of how to open our pupils’ eyes to the issues facing the world while ensuring pupils remain safe and healthy.
Since profitability is the reason for the existence of business, we can say that social responsibility is proof that a business is mature and sustainable. Business seems to be a crucial part of the system of social connections, along with the government and NGOs. And – as a part of this landscape – it has an important role to play. Business is usually closer to novelties and technology; it invests money in R&D, and is also able to provide resources to support the environment and society. How can we make sure that our social initiatives are the most profitable and respond well to the situation around us? Let’s find out, analysing the case study of Cognifide
Employers are increasingly focusing on building and developing value-based businesses.
The BPCC, together with the Polish Embassy in London, the Polish inward investment and trade agency PAIH and Santander Bank held a webinar aimed at UK firms interesting in doing business in Poland.
On the 3 September, the new British ambassador to Warsaw, Anna Clunes OBE, dropped into the British Polish Chamber of Commerce end-of-summer business mixer to greet members.
Following the success of its Warsaw business mixer on the 3 September, the first ‘live’ event held by the BPCC since lockdown, members from across the south-west of Poland had the chance to participate in a live mixer in a safe, controlled environment.
For many years, the BPCC’s Real Estate & Construction events have been a quarterly occurrence, bringing together investors, developers, contractors, subcontractors, engineers, architects and of course representatives of real estate advisory firms to see how the market is evolving. The pandemic has put much on hold, so after a longer-than-usual pause, the BPCC held its second real-estate event on 16 September 2020, together with Savills and Linklaters, in the form of a webinar.
