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

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