INVESTORS IN MSK
MUDr. Zdenka Němečková
Crkvenjaš, MBA
Regional Counsils Responsible
for the Environment
Enabling
Organisations
to Transition
to a Circular
Economy
Recently,
terms
like
‘sustainable
development’ and ‘circular economics’
have spiked in popularity. Models that
have been, up until recently, largely
theoretical are being put into practice.
Analyses and research have concluded
that, by 2050, consumption would
reach a threshold three times larger than
the capacity of sustainable production.
The recent COVID-19 pandemic and war
in Ukraine highlighted the importance
of a timely transition away from a linear
economy in favor of a circular one. Our
existing consumer habits, where only 5%
of materials are reused, are devastating
to the environment. Out of the billions of
tonnes of waste produced each year, over
half ends up in landfills! In this way, we lose
precious resources and energy without
compensation. It is for this reason that we
are intensively preparing the infrastructure
necessary to fulfill the ambitious goals
for waste management set by the EU. By
2030, only 10% of our waste will be able
to end up in landfills, and 25% will go to
energy production. All other waste will
need to be sorted and recycled. Initial
investment will be costly, though this is
partially covered by the EU fund. Even
industrial companies in our region will
have to undergo greening and transition
towards a circular economy. This will
decrease the emission of CO2 and solid
pollutants. The replacement of boilers in
local fireboxes with ecological alternatives
has thus far been the most significant
change that has led to the improvement
of air quality in our region.
The greening and sustainability of
production have also become a growing
theme in the private sector. Regional
companies are becoming increasingly
aware and are taking measures to make
their activities sustainable. Italian and
French companies operating in our region
are no exception. One such company is
the Italian automotive supplier Brembo,
based in the Ostrava Hrabová industrial
zone, which focuses on producing braking
technologies for luxury vehicles. They
have managed to increase the efficiency
of their process by recycling production
waste and making effective use of their
water and heat sources. As a consequence,
they not only save money, but also
the environment. This is why cooperation
between the private and public sectors
is so central to the implementation of
sustainable principles.
There is a lot of hard work still ahead of us,
but the protection of our environment is
worth all that effort!
Text a foto:
Moravskoslezský kraj
POSITIV 2/2022 ǀ 37