Dear Members and Readers,
Restart, rebuild, renew – these are the three words that encompass the ambitions of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) in its campaign to re-energise business post the pandemic. As a committed member of the BCC’s global network, we share these ambitions; they will guide the BPCC’s programmes for 2021 and beyond.
We are extremely proud to bring you this transformative issue of Contact Magazine Online. As the pandemic hopefully wanes, we stand at the beginning of a new era where mankind rolls back the climate change brought on by fossil-fuel-powered industrialisation. This is a historic milestone of an issue – the world will be moving in this direction at an ever-faster pace. This year’s UN climate change conference, COP26, takes place in Glasgow, making this a good time to set out what the BPCC’s members are doing to tackle the environmental challenges facing mankind. Taken together, the articles and interviews give an excellent overview of the current situation – and the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.
The BPCC’s Michael Dembinski talks to Dr Malinkiewicz about how the future of solar energy is about to be revolutionised.
I’d drive my car into the city centre, but I don’t like traffic jams, and parking spaces are hard to come by. I’d ride my motorbike into the city centre – much quicker – but it’s raining and I don’t feel safe in the heavy traffic. Here’s the answer. This Polish-designed-and-built answer to short-distance urban commuting – a four-wheeled, electric-powered vehicle drives like a car on the open road, but can fold itself into the width of a motorbike when it comes to threading through traffic and for parking, and can be used safely and comfortably in any weather.
Agnieszka Gajewska, partner and CEE leader, Public Sector & Infrastructure / ESG global international development leader at PwC, talks to the BPCC’s Michael Dembinski about the direction and thrust of the EU’s next budget, and what this will mean for business in Poland, for the country and for Europe.
CEO Bernard Looney has set out ambitious plans to transform BP from an oil company to an energy company, with a target to achieve Net Zero – carbon neutrality – within 29 years. How will that transformation manifest itself on the Polish market?
Adam Hirny, director of the Office for Sustainable Development Programmes at BNP Paribas talks to the BPCC’s Michael Dembinski about how BNP Paribas is using its market power as a bank to further the fight against climate change
For all of us, 2021 will be a unique year. In November, the UK will build on its climate leadership as host of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow. As we are still recovering from the coronavirus pandemic, we have a historic chance to build back better and even more resilient through a clean recovery that unlocks growth and creates jobs in green technology.
A long strategic and regulatory debate on climate change is finally being transformed into reality. The general public has been pushing for some decisive steps in the area of climate change, but it took a long time for the declarative gestures of governments to be transformed into commercial projects. Eventually, though, it is happening, and we see a series of initiatives in which Bilfinger Tebodin provides its engineering expertise. It is a common understanding throughout the industry that the energy transition initiatives are the next big frontier for a technological push. The regulatory willpower and the technical feasibility are now being supplemented by funding available for the investments in this new area.
The construction industry is one of the oldest industries in the world. The moment man became sedentary, construction began to flourish, becoming more and more complex over time to meet society’s growing demands. We went from huts and watermills to skyscrapers and hydro-electric dams! Therefore it is not surprising that, today, with the amount of resources needed to build a building or an infrastructural project such as a dam or a highway, the construction industry generates about 40% of global energy-related carbon emissions – from raw material extraction through construction, to building exploitation. As depressing as that might sound, it’s worth pointing out we are entering a new era of technological revolution, permitting a new approach towards the dinosaur industry that is construction!
With real estate responsible for almost 40% of energy and process-related emissions, a focus on the building and construction sector is inevitable. Tackling climate change should be at the top of every property owner’s and occupier’s agenda.
Understanding and accepting the need to counteract the planet's overheating has become common in developed countries in recent years. Societies are putting more and more pressure on the authorities and on companies offering final products to reduce CO2 emissions. This action is forcing a green transformation among producers and their suppliers who want to be active in the markets across the Global North, regardless of their national policy. The Paris Agreement and the programmes of the EU, the US and China clearly indicate the direction of activities for the next 30 years: the zero-emission world economy (net-zero) and the circular economy.
In this article, we will highlight issues that should be of interest to foreign businesses looking to build solar farm in Poland.
The climate policy of the EU, through its CO2 emission trading system, is pushing up the price of energy in member states. This is apparent in Poland where around 70% of energy is still being produced from hard coal and lignite. And since 1 January, the obligation to pay a capacity fee was imposed on industrial customers. For them it means an increase in the price of energy of 76.20zł/MWh (around £15/MWh), collected on weekdays between 07:00 and 22:00.
The Polish renewable energy market, in particular that based on wind and solar power, has recently enjoyed a boom. This is the result of global trends, EU regulatory requirements and the government's decision to support green energy, after, to put it mildly, its initial conservative approach to renewable energy sources.
Environmental risk management means that firms must ensure their operations comply with environmental legislation and requirements, as well as the with latest green trends in the industry.
COP26, the 2021 UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow will be held for the 26th time. This, in itself, indicates that climate change is perceived among the international community as a threat to be treated seriously and monitored every year. Although the Paris Agreement (2015) is often regarded as a breakthrough in the fight for climate preservation, many take the view that enactment of the document has not been followed by sufficient action by the signatory states to limit global temperature increase to not more than 2ºC (or, optimally, 1.5 ºC).
How do you create an attractive, well-functioning and successful working environment where everyone’s happy and healthy? Along the journey to the new working environment, there are a number of factors that affect how sustainable and future-proof the solution will be.
Over 80% of industrial occupiers are asking about sustainable warehouse solutions and 60% of them would like their facilities to be green-certified, says global real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield in its Industrial Goes Green report on sustainability in the industrial sector.
Global real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield has prepared a report Industrial Goes Green on sustainability solutions that can be used in warehouses to reduce the environmental footprint of such facilities. The publication is accompanied by a special charity campaign where funds raised will be donated to the Polish Foundation for Energy Efficiency (FEWE).
The need to care for the environment and to stop unfavourable climate changes have caused an unprecedented breakthrough in social awareness and across many sectors of the economy. In the warehouse space market, the green approach to both the construction and operation of buildings is no longer a fashion but a new standard. This is the case of SEGRO, a leading owner, manager and developer of warehouse space, for whom green building is an integral part of the operating strategy.
Real estate was estimated to have been responsible for almost 40% of total carbon emissions in 2018. No wonder then that a large number of developers are applying for green certification of their properties while employers take a closer look at a company’s sustainable development strategy. This is becoming increasingly important as companies now see their commitment to environmental protection as a key aspect in their operations, and one to which employees themselves are paying attention.
You are thinking about a project in Poland. You want to develop a warehouse. Or a production facility. Or an office. Or a housing estate.
BPCC member, Projects Beyond Borders Ltd (PBB) is a micro-business based in the North of England that has been a member of BPCC for four years and like most fellow members is wondering about how to adjust to life after Covid-19, when that will be, or even whether the word ‘after’ even applies.
‘Business for Good’ policies have risen rapidly up the corporate agenda in the past decade, shifting from a nice-to-have marketing tool to an absolute essential of any major business’s corporate make-up.
The past 12 months have heightened the focus on these policies. The positive social impact of business has been a key barometer by which companies have been judged by customers and the public during the pandemic, and businesses are now looking to incorporate positive social value policies into longer-term business goals. Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) strategies are the means of achieving this.
The past year has shown a growing demand for modern, business-oriented solutions in the field of HR law. Solutions which are designed for the 21st century, maximising employee protection and safety, that are environmentally friendly and allow employers to efficiently manage the work process remotely. We have included some guidelines below which will help employers move their HR processes smoothly into the digital age.
Poland’s commercial real-estate sector is highly unusual in that 97% of all transactions involve foreign capital - only 3-4% of the volume invested on average per year is domestic capital.
