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Corporate Responsibility, page 6

News on corporate responsibility and the NGO sector

Jurský Šúr

Jurský Šúr, a Ramsar site near Bratislava, calls for volunteers

NATIONAL Nature Reserve Šúr is the largest area of its kind in Central Europe and one of the largest in the whole of Europe. The Joy and Work initiative call on volunteers to come and help out with cleaning, while also enjoying the unique site.

The Tvrďák race in Košice.

Great Country web site expands to include English-speakers

EVEN though volunteering has already taken root in Slovakia, it is still important to spread information about these activities to help inspire others.

Tonnes of food ends up in bins

SLOVAKIA disagrees with EU advice to remove the date of minimum durability from food packages and leave just the expiration date. The EU says that this measure could decrease the amount of food waste by 15 millions tonnes of current 100 tonnes in the whole union, the Sme daily reported. 

Via Bona awards ceremony.

Pontis hands out Via Bona awards

Ceremony recognises most socially responsible firms.

Pontis also bestows the Via Bona CSR awards
Video

The most responsible companies in Slovakia awarded

During the Via Bona Awards ceremony for corporate responsibility Slovak President Kiska became part of the music band as a guitar player and singer.

Slovenské elektrárne received the main prize of the prestigious VIA BONA awards, the “Responsible Large Corporation of 2013” for its social responsibility programme “Energy for the Country”.

Responsible company of the year 2013: Slovenské elektrárne

Corporate responsibility is an essential part of Slovenské elektrárne’s enterprise. The power company is fully engaged in corporate responsibility within the Energy for the Country programme, a complex project which brought Slovenské elektrárne in 2014 a prestigious award: the main prize of VIA BONA 2013.

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Dozens of solutions were introduced at the market.

Responsible products marketed

COMPANIES can themselves affect customers and consumer behaviour by offering them more responsible products and services. Members of the Business Leaders Forum and other companies are making an effort to incorporate the principles of corporate responsibility into their everyday workings. They showed some of their outcomes at the Market of Solutions event which was part of the annual conference on corporate responsibility in Bratislava on May 22 organised by the Pontis Foundation. Visitors, apart from trying some of the solutions on site, could vote for the best solution.

Via Bona prizes granted

IN MID APRIL the Pontis Foundation handed out the 14th annual awards for companies doing businesses in a responsible way. The ceremony took place on April 10 in Bratislava while it had the form of a theatrical performance featuring also a Down-syndrome affected actor. The jury selected winners from among 52 nominations. “What we are trying to achieve by awards in Slovakia is often a matter of course in developed countries,” Pavel Hrica of the Pontis Foundation said, as cited in the press release. “We want to set this norm also in Slovakia, and companies already feel such expectations from their surroundings.”There were seven categories in the 2013 Via Bona Slovakia Awards, reflecting the continuing development of corporate responsibility and corporate philanthropy in Slovakia. This year a new category, the prize of the public, about which people voting online via the website of the Hospodárske Noviny economic daily, was added.

NGOs receive €25 million

TAXPAYERS sent almost €25 million to non-profit organisations, foundations and other similar organisations within a 2-percent allocation scheme from income and corporate taxes they paid for 2013, according to the Financial Administration. This sum might increase as the administration has not processed all income tax returns and some entities have postponed their deadlines for submitting tax returns, the TASR newswire wrote.

Thousands of volunteers across Slovakia participate in the Our Town event each year.

Volunteer days take place in June

DURING two day in June, volunteers across Slovakia will combine forces within Our Town, or Naše Mesto, the biggest corporate volunteering event in Slovakia. Volunteers can select from hundreds of manual labour activities but can also devote their time to seniors or the disabled.

New rules for public collections

WHILE the nature of charitable and philanthropic efforts has changed since the fall of communism in 1989, activities in this area still adhere to rules set by the communist regime. These outdated rules have prompted the Interior Ministry to join with non-profit and non-governmental organisations to prepare a new law to reflect current societal conditions and engender more trust among the general public in such efforts. Parliament passed the brand new bill on May 27, which will come into effect on July 1.

The perception of corruption in Slovakia is high.

Businesses join NGOs to tackle corruption

WHILE non-profit and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have led the crusade against corruption and weak transparency in Slovakia, now the business sector is joining the fight. Last year, several companies teamed up with the Fund for a Transparent Slovakia, while this year several others formed the Slovak Compliance Circle.

Collections fundraised €3.5 million

THE TEN most successful organisations holding fund-raising collections in 2013 collected almost €3.5 million, based on an analysis of the Centre for Philanthropy, the SITA newswire wrote on May 5.

Anniversary for protected workplace cafe

THE ONLY café with a wheel-chaired waiter, Café Luxor in Bratislava, celebrated its first anniversary on May 29. The café, which operates as a so-called protected workplace, employs three physically handicapped staffers in the position of waiter, economist and marketing worker, the SITA newswire reported.

Samsung, others get ethics award

SAMSUNG Electronics Slovakia in Galanta and Železiarne Podbrezová in Podbrezová won the Grand Prix of the Slovak Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SOPK) for following ethical principles when doing business. Their representatives accepted the prizes during a general assembly of the SOPK in Bratislava on April 15, the TASR newswire reported.

Corporate responsibility is new norm

FOR WINNERS of Via Bona awards for corporate social responsibility, obtaining the award was primarily encouragement for them to keep up their work and perhaps go even further. The Slovak Spectator spoke with representatives of last three years’ winners of the main Via Bona awards for corporate responsibility for large and small- and medium-sized companies about how corporate responsibility and the approach of companies have changed over the years. The respondents included Jana Burdová, spokeswoman for Slovenské Elektrárne; Gabriela Vlková, spokeswoman of Embraco in Spišská Nová Ves; Eva Hipšová, the spokeswoman for ABB; Boris Peško, the spokesman for the energy distributor Východoslovenská Energetika (VSE); and Martin Štrba, director of the e-shop at Martinus.sk.

Some organisations active in CSR and philanthropy in Slovakia

- 1. Neziskové Servisné Centrum (the central portal for the non-profit sector), www.1snsc.sk- Business Leaders’ Forum, www.blf.sk- C.A.R.D.O., www.dobrovolnictvo.sk- Centrum pre filantropiu/Centre for Philanthropy, www.cpf.sk- Fórum donorov/Slovak Donors’ Forum, www.donorsforum.sk- Iuventa, the Slovak Youth Institute, www.iuventa.sk- Panet, www.panet.sk- Pontis Foundation, www.nadaciapontis.sk

Corporate social responsibility in media

CSR has already become part of the DNA of many companies in Slovakia. But these same companies say information about CSR activities is lacking in the media and that there is some reluctance on the part of the media to report about them, or participants in them – although they admit that the situation has improved in recent years.

2012 Via Bona Awards

IN MID April the Pontis Foundation handed out the 13th annual awards for companies doing businesses in a responsible way.

Business Leaders Forum grows

THE BUSINESS Leaders Forum (BLF), a network of companies that commit voluntarily to integrate principles affecting the social, ethical, and environmental aspects of entrepreneurship into their strategies, is continuing to grow. Tatra Banka joined the network in March this year.

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