25.10.2024
What is ESG, and how the topics of sustainable and responsible business are handled by Czech market leaders, were the topics presented at the ESG Meetup - Reporting & Auditing conference organised by ČTK Connect in cooperation with S-cope. The first own content conference of the national news agency took place in the PressCentre of ČTK on October 24 and featured 15 speakers. The event was held under the auspices of Finance Minister Zbyněk Stanjura.
“This is the first conference organised by the national news agency. We are pleased to be able to contribute to the ongoing debate on the important topics of sustainability and responsible business. I believe that the format and content of the event perfectly aligns with ČTK’s mission, and I will support further ideas that the team around the ČTK Connect section comes up with,” said Jaroslav Kábele, Director General of ČTK.
The event was sponsored by ESG expert Veronika Soukupová, who spoke about ESG from the perspective of ISO standards, internal management systems and audits in her opening speech. Representatives from Letiště Praha (Prague Airport), Vodafone, Veolia, and Tipsport demonstrated how market leaders approach the factors of sustainability, environment, social issues, and responsible governance and management. A representative of CRIF - Czech Credit Bureau presented how to collect data from publicly available sources, and representatives from the Chamber of Auditors of the Czech Republic and ČSOB discussed the evaluation of reports.
Zuzana Holá, head of Communications and Sustainability at Vodafone Czech Republic, focused on social responsibility, which is one of the three parts of ESG, alongside environmental protection and responsible management. According to her, social responsibility is no longer just about charity or supporting mothers at work. “According to statistics, everyone has an addiction, for better or worse. It is therefore one of the topics we address in our company,” Holá said. She also said employers should not underestimate help in difficult life situations such as domestic violence.
The conference, which had a hybrid format and could be attended online, also touched on the issue of greenwashing. “Greenwashing is generally considered to be misinforming a potential consumer about the environmental parameters of products, organisations or technologies. The aim is to highlight the environmental benefit, i.e. lower impact of the product on the environment,” said Vladimír Kočí, head of the Department of Sustainability and Product Ecology at the University of Chemistry and Technology Prague. He added that terms such as “sustainable products” or “eco-friendly products” are misleading and have no place in professional publications.
Panel discussions focused on topics such as how to apply ESG in practice or how to communicate ESG inside the organisation and outside to the media or social media. Attendees in the room as well as those who joined online were able to ask questions to all the speakers. Designer Jitka Jugmannová took care of the unconventional visual summary of the event.
The conference will be followed by thematic meetups in the spring, which will focus on individual ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) chapters. Those interested can find the dates and registration forms on the ČTK Academy website.
